Dahlia plant named ‘Balnovburs’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Dahlia  plant named ‘Balnovburs’, characterized by its upright plant habit; freely branching habit; semi-double type inflorescences; and yellow and red-colored ray florets.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Dahlia variabiliscultivar Balnovburs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dahliaplant, botanically known as Dahlia variabilis, commercially referred toas a pot-type Dahlia, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name‘Balnovburs’.

The new Dahlia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands. The new Dahlia originatedfrom a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 1997 of twounidentified proprietary selections of Dahlia variabilis, not patented.The cultivar Balnovburs was discovered and selected by the Inventor as aflowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in acontrolled environment in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands in October, 1997.

Asexual reproduction of the new Dahlia by stem cuttings was firstconducted in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands in 1999. Asexual reproduction bycuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Dahlia arestable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Balnovburs has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and daylength, without,however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Balnovburs’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Balnovburs’ as a new and distinct pot-typeDahlia:

1. Upright plant habit.

2. Freely branching habit.

3. Semi-double type inflorescences.

4. Yellow and red-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Dahlia differ from plants of the parent selectionsprimarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the parent selections donot have yellow and red-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Dahlia can be compared to plants of the Dahliacultivar Balnovches, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,254. Inside-by-side comparisons conducted in West Chicago, Ill., plants of thenew Dahlia were larger, more vigorous and had fewer ray florets perinflorescence than plants of the cultivar Balnovches. In addition,plants of the new Dahlia and the cultivar Balnovches differed in rayfloret coloration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Dahlia showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newDahlia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Balnovburs’.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of atypical inflorescence of ‘Balnovburs’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where generalterms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The followingobservations and measurements describe plants grown and flowered duringthe spring in West Chicago, Ill., under commercial practice in apolycarbonate-covered greenhouse. During the production the plants, daytemperatures ranged from 18 to 24° C., night temperatures ranged from 16to 18° C., and light levels ranged from 4,000 to 6,000 footcandles. Onecutting was planted per 10-cm container and plants were grown for about12 weeks.

Botanical classification: Dahlia variabilis cultivar Balnovburs.

Parentage:

Female, or seed, parent.—Unidentified selection of Dahlia variabilis,not patented.

Male, or pollen, parent.—Unidentified selection of Dahlia variabilis,not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—By stem cuttings.

Time to rooting.—About 7 days at 18° C.

Time to develop a rooted cutting.—About 21 days at 18° C.

Root description.—Fibrous; development of tubers has not been observed.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous pot-type Dahlia. Inverted triangle; upright planthabit. Freely branching, about four to five lateral branches per plant;pinching will enhance branching. Moderately vigorous.

Plant height (soil level to top of foliage).—About 20.3 cm.

Plant height (soil level to top of inflorescences).—About 28 cm.

Plant width or area of spread.—About 20.8 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 10 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Internodelength: About 4 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color:144A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite; simple. Length: About 7.2cm. Width: About 4 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate.Margin: Serrate. Texture, upper surface: Leathery; rugose; sparselypubescent along midvein. Texture, lower surface: Leathery; rugose;smooth, glabrous. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Petiole length: About 3 cm.Petiole diameter: About 4 mm. Petiole texture, upper and lower surfaces:Smooth, glabrous. Color: Developing foliage, upper surface: N134A.Developing foliage, lower surface: 138A. Fully expanded foliage, uppersurface: 138A. Fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 138B. Venation,upper and lower surfaces: 144B. Petiole, upper and lower surfaces: 144B.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Terminal semi-double type inflorescences held above andbeyond the foliage on strong flexible peduncles; inflorescences facemostly upright to slightly outwardly. Composite inflorescence form withovate-shaped ray florets and disc florets massed at the center; ray anddisc florets develop acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences notfragrant. Inflorescences persistent.

Flowering response.—Plants flower continuous and freely from springthrough fall.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for about seven to ten days on the plant.

Quantity of inflorescences.—One fully opened inflorescence per peduncleat a time.

Inflorescence bud (stage of showing color).—Shape: Oblate. Length: About1.9 cm. Diameter: About 1.6 cm. Color: 151D.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 7.3 cm. Depth (height): About 2.5cm. Disc diameter: About 2 cm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Ovate. Aspect: Straight, concave. Length: About 3.8cm. Width: About 1 cm. Apex: Emarginate to acute. Base: Fused into ashort corolla tube. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:Smooth, glabrous. Quantity per inflorescence: About eight true rayflorets in a single whorl. Each ray floret has three to four petal-likestructures that originate from the corolla tube opening. Thesestructures are about 2.8 cm in length and about 2 to 3 mm in width.Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface: 34A; towards theapex, close to 2B; color becoming closer to 179B with development. Whenopening and fully opened, lower surface: 2B. Petal-like structures,upper and lower surfaces: 1A to 1B with sectors of 34A.

Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length:About 1 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Quantity per inflorescence: About 52.Color: 12A.

Involucral bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About seven. Length:About 2 cm. Width: About 5 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base:Truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,glabrous. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Towards the base, 143A;gradually fading closer to 145B towards the apex.

Peduncles.—Length: About 10.4 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength:Strong, flexible. Aspect: Erect. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: 144A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Quantityper floret: One. Anther length: About 2.6 mm. Anther color: 162A. Pollenamount: Moderate. Pollen color: 17A. Gynoecium: Present on both ray anddisc florets. Quantity per floret: One. Pistil length: About 8 mm.Stigma color: 16A. Style length: About 2.5 mm. Style color: 145D. Ovarycolor: 145B.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest tolerance: Plants of the new Dahlia have not been observedto be tolerant to pathogens and pests common to Dahlias.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Dahlia plant named ‘Balnovburs’, as illustrated and described. 